The invention relates, in general, to an activity management system. In particular the invention relates to an activity management system providing on-demand wireless communication to a specific patron population within a defined area. More particularly the invention relates to a patron(s) positioned anywhere within the defined area who desires entrance to a selected activity, communications with other authenticated patron, or communications with the authorized representatives of the defined area.
In general, present day theme parks span the entire range of a business enterprise. A theme park may also be a theme attraction, such as a zoo, Mall ski resort, learning farm, or casino etc. Present day theme parks provide a variety of services and products to their patrons. These services and products may comprise entertainment, food, lodging, and various amusement activities for individuals or families. Some theme parks are quite modest in size and are limited in scope in the number services and products they offer to patrons who frequent the park. On the other end of the spectrum, theme parks such as Walt Disney Attractions, Anheiser Bush, Paramount, and others are quite large and offer numerous services and products to patrons who frequent the park.
It is estimated that the top 100 worldwide theme parks have 280 million visitors or patrons each year. Theme parks in the United States have experienced a 6.7% growth rate in 1995 over 1994. Capitol spending on new parks and attractions in North America is estimated at more than $5 billion for 1995. On the average, patrons of theme parks spend $67.00 on food, gifts, and entertainment in addition to the entrance fee.
The common thread connecting all theme parks together is their need to maximize their efficiency. Large and small theme parks, to stay competitive, choose to provide patrons with services and products to produce the maximum activity for a minimum cost while not sacrificing the quality or enjoyment of their patrons. These activities cover the full gamut of a patron""s desires and wishes. Individual or family patrons enter the theme park with the expectation of being entertained, amused, and satisfied with foods and beverages.
Various methods have been employed to manage, count, or control a patron""s desires and wishes. In general, all of the tried methods involve collecting information about a large group of patrons engaged in purchasing, participating in an amusement, and entering or leaving the theme park. The reason this information is based on large groups is that information about individual patrons is difficult to obtain and not readily available. One attempt to collect this type of information is collecting information at the point-of-sale of a particular item by a patron. This methodology does not lend itself to sales to each patron. The sale must be completed by the patron who is in control of the cash or credit card. The predominate groups of patrons at any given theme park are families. The point-of-sale of an item is a sale to the whole family. Obtaining individual information about the sale of the item is based on the person who pays for the item purchased not the intended person who actually desires or retains the item.
Attempts in the past, prior to the present invention, to rectify this problem included implementing a computer based information system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,327 issued to Sher on Oct. 16, 1996 is an example of a computer based information system that controls the point-of-sale transactions to patrons in the theme park. The Sher patent discloses a biometric identification card used in conjunction with point-of-sale locations in a theme park. The intended purpose of the Sehr invention is to control the theme park""s operational cost of providing services and products to its patrons. The principle feature of the Sehr patent is a computer based information system that provides up-to-date information for micro marketing and inventory control by point-of-sale transactions in a theme park environment.
The biometric card disclosed in the Sher patent verifies the card itself is present for payment of services or products purchased by a patron. The Sehr biometric card can not authenticate the holder of the card. There is no information contained on the Sehr biometric card that identifies whether the user of the card is indeed the correct or authorized patron. There is no information disclosed in the Sehr patent that allows the information management system to determine the identity of the actual patron who made the buying decision. The Sehr biometric card is a verification system that only allows verification of the card and does not authenticate the user and the card at the same time. Authentication establishes the patron in possession of the biometric card to be the patron making the purchase of service or product.
The Sehr patent discloses a centralized computer based information system. The central computer verifies all transactions from the point-of-sale using the Sehr biometric card. This is a serial operation. When a patron makes a purchase, the point-of-sale is verified and recorded by the central computer. This type of operation is already employed in restaurants where point-of-sale purchase is transacted with an ordinary credit card. The patron of the restaurant presents his credit card in payment for the meal. The restaurant cashier scans or enters the credit card number into the appropriate machine, and both the patron and the cashier wait for the central computer to verify the credit card. This wait may seem to be instantaneous or it may be several minutes in duration.
The reason the transactions resulting from a restaurant point-of-sale require an extended period to verify is that people tend to eat food at the same time each day. People tend to arrive at the restaurant at the same time and leave at the same time. This causes havoc with the central computer system trying to control point-of sale transactions. The point-of-sale system of the Sehr patent discloses this very same phenomenon. People tend to arrive in large groups and at specific times at theme parks. Transactions at mealtime will also resemble the same bottleneck experienced in non theme park restaurants.
It would be desirable to have an activity management system that manages day-to-day activities of a theme park to include authentication of a patron""s purchase of services or products and provides individual patron marketing information. The activity management system would be in communication with patrons through a portable interactive communication device. The communication device would be a contactless credit card with a secure radio frequency identification. The card would be capable of multiple functions and multiple security levels using a combination of magnetic stripes, two-dimensional bar codes, integrated circuit chips, optical storage or two-dimensional symbology, (an image of a character). The card would be capable of contactless authentication, not verification, as with the Sehr patent biometric card.
The desired information management system would be a wireless local area network providing on demand interactive communication to a specific patron population within a defined area, such as an amusement or theme park, mall, or convention center. A patron positioned anywhere within the network would selectively communicate with other patrons through strategically placed display stations or kiosks throughout the network area.
The amusement or theme park industry is well aware of the competitive nature of the business. The theme parks, to stay competitive, require data to maximize their efficiency and stay competitive. Until the present invention, only static data was available. The static data was derived from point of sale, marketing, and occasional patron(s) comments to theme park management. Interaction between the patron(s) and the theme park was limited to the span of time the patron(s) was within the confines of the theme park. This particular span of time was directed to the initial entry into the theme park, after which the theme park had no visibility as to the whereabouts of the patron(s) or the patron(s) activities.
The present invention provides dynamic or real time data through a computer controlled activity management system. The activity management system manages day-to-day activities of a theme park to include, in part, authentication of a patron""s purchase of services or products and individual patron marketing information. The activity management system may, if desired, be in communication with patrons through a portable interactive communication device. The device is capable of multiple functions, multiple security levels, and of contactless authentication of the patron.
The activity management system, in general, is a wireless local area network providing on demand interactive communication to a specific patron population within a defined area. A patron positioned anywhere within the network may, if desired, selectively communicate with other patrons through strategically placed display stations or kiosks throughout the network area.
A first patron, in possession of the communication device, desires a particular activity selected from a plurality of activities present on the display station. The display station in communication with the activity management system authenticates the first patron and the first patron""s identity by comparing patron identifiers encoded on or in the communication device to the first patron. If the first patron and the first patron""s identifiers are the same, the patron is granted that desired activity. The activity management system may, if desired, process the data of this transaction along with the positional notation of the first patron to produce a real-time histogram of the patron""s activity selection and position within the confines of the theme park.
A second patron, in possession of a second communication device, and being remotely disposed from the first patron may desire to communicate with the first patron. The second patron requests communications via a display station position anywhere within the confines of the theme park. The second patron presents to the display station his communication device containing a selected identifier. The identifier was previously encode onto the communications device by the theme park. The activity management system authenticates the second patron via the identifier (as discussed above). The activity management system authenticates the first patron via his own particular identifier thus assuring secured communications between the first and second patron.
The activity management system, in part, provides on-demand interactive communication to a specific patron population each having a communication device that contains a previously encoded identifier. The patron(s) may desire an activity requiring controlled access within the theme park. The patron(s) may also request delayed entrance to the activity thereby avoiding long lines of individuals seeking entrance into the same activity. The patron(s) selects a particular activity from a menu of activities displayed on a kiosk that is positioned adjacent to the particular activity. The activity management system authenticates the patron (as discussed above) and activates a virtual queuing management program. The virtual queuing management program positionally notes the patron""s request for entrance into the activity. When the patron""s position is advanced to a selected space relative to the entrance of the requested activity the virtual queuing management program notifies the patron via the communication device. The patron, in response to this notification, proceeds to a selected entrance for the activity and is granted instant entrance into the activity.